RetroSimba

(Updated Jan. 22, 2019)

Skip Schumaker’s most important hit during eight seasons with the Cardinals occurred during one of the greatest at-bats in one of the classic games in franchise history.

Chris Carpenter pitched a gem against the Phillies in the decisive Game 5 of the 2011 National League Division Series, but the effort could have been wasted if Schumaker hadn’t driven in the run that led to a 1-0 Cardinals victory.

Schumaker’s first-inning RBI-double off Phillies ace Roy Halladay was the defining achievement of his Cardinals career.

Rally Squirrel

In 2011, Schumaker was the Cardinals’ second baseman. In Game 4 of the National League Division Series at St. Louis, Schumaker singled in each of his first two at-bats. In his third at-bat, in the fifth inning, a squirrel ran across the plate, distracting pitcher Roy Oswalt as he unleashed a pitch. Oswalt asked umpire Angel Hernandez to nullify the pitch, ruled a ball, but Hernandez denied the request. “I was wondering what size of animal it needed to be for it not to be a pitch,” Oswalt said. (The Cardinals went on to win, 5-3, preventing the Phillies from clinching the series that night. Thus was born the Rally Squirrel, which became a part of Cardinals lore. Said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel: “Being from the South and being a squirrel hunter, if I had a gun there, might have did something. I’m a pretty good shot.”) Boxscore and MLB video

Schumaker subsequently flied out to center in that squirrelly at-bat. He was lifted before the start of the next inning with what the Cardinals described as a hamstring cramp caused by dehydration.

Before Game 5 at Philadelphia, doctors cleared Schumaker to play. Manager Tony La Russa opted to start Nick Punto at second base and Schumaker in center field in place of the slumping Jon Jay. Schumaker hadn’t started in center in eight weeks, but he had a career .364 batting mark versus Halladay and La Russa wanted Schumaker second in the order, behind Rafael Furcal.

The decision paid immediate dividends.

Epic at-bat

Furcal led off the game with a triple and Schumaker followed with an at-bat the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described as “epic.” With the count 0-and-2, Schumaker fouled off five two-strike pitches. On the 10th pitch of the at-bat, Schumaker pulled a curveball into the right-field corner for a run-producing double. MLB video

“That was a good at-bat,” Halladay said. “I threw him two or three pitches that were good pitches and he just kept fouling them off.”

Said Schumaker to ESPN.com: “I was happy just to put the barrel of the bat on the ball.” Asked whether he was fortunate to foul off a couple of Halladay’s toughest pitches, Schumaker said, “Yeah, probably seven of the 10.” MLB video

Halladay stopped the Cardinals the remainder of the game, but Carpenter was better. He shut out the Phillies on three hits. The Cardinals advanced to the National League Championship Series against the Brewers. Boxscore

Schumaker wouldn’t play in the Milwaukee series. In his second at-bat against Halladay, Schumaker strained a muscle in his side and left the game after he flied out. Schumaker returned for the World Series against the Rangers, started three games in center and appeared in three others. He had two hits in 11 at-bats.

Skip six

Schumaker’s most memorable regular-season performance occurred on July 26, 2008, when he had six singles in seven at-bats in the Cardinals’ 10-8 victory in 14 innings against the Mets at New York. He keyed the winning rally with a one-out single off Aaron Heilman. One out later, Albert Pujols launched a two-run home run. Boxscore

Batting in the leadoff spot and playing left field, Schumaker became the first Cardinal in 73 years to produce six hits in a game. Until then, the feat was last achieved by rookie Terry Moore on Sept. 5, 1935, against the Braves at St. Louis. Batting leadoff and playing center field, Moore was 6-for-6, with five singles and a double. Boxscore

Schumaker and Pujols (who was 5-for-8) became the first Cardinals pair since 1930 to each have five hits in a game. Charlie Gelbert and Taylor Douthit each had five hits against the Cubs on May 16, 1930, at St. Louis. Boxscore

Schumaker had two other feats of note for the Cardinals.

On the last day of the 2007 season, Schumaker was 5-for-5 (four singles and a double) against the Pirates at Pittsburgh. Boxscore

Three years later, on Aug. 9, 2010, during a heated series against the Reds at Cincinnati, Schumaker hit a grand slam, the only one of his career, against Mike Leake in a 7-3 Cardinals victory. Boxscore